Life is for the Living
by foxeye10
Summary: Annie decides it is time to move on...but what will become of George and Nina?
1. The End

**The end**

_A __dying __man __needs __to __die, __as __a __sleepy __man __needs __to __sleep, __and __there __comes__ a __time __when __it __is __wrong, __as __well __as __useless, __to __resist._

-Stewart Alsop**-**

So there it is.

Her door.

It calls to her, a persuasive tug just below her breastbone. It's different to her original door, this wood is smooth and brown, with a small clouded glass window at the top and a brass handle set into the side. It seems to grow, filling up her world. It is at the same time beautiful and terrifying.

Annie turns away from the door, with a little difficulty. Behind her George and Nina stand watching, their eyes wide and slightly afraid. Annie surveys her friends, changed a little in the year and a half since Mitchell had died, but still standing by her.

But, it could not be said that the changes are not significant. Clasped in George's arms their little baby girl lies, her ears poking out from under a knitted cap. And Nina stands at an odd angle, her short body at odds with her large pregnancy bump.

George says softly, "We're lucky you know. Not everyone gets a chance to say goodbye." The ghost and the werewolf both smile a little, in recollection of the words that Mitchell once spoke. The thought flashes through Annie's head, how long ago it seems now. How much she has lived since she faced her last door.

Moving on.

Finally.

She remembers what made the door appear.

_Annie walks into the kitchen after a lonely night. She sees Nina feeding the baby. George cooking eggs. Hears them talking, laughing._

_And it's as if her view shifts slightly. Nothing changes, but suddenly she sees the world from a different angle and realises – they are content. And better, they are happy. There is no place in their world for a ghost, one who will never age, never change._

_And in that single moment, with a sudden unexpected clarity, Annie realises that she has no purpose to fulfil. Nothing to stay for. The reason for her ghost hood was Owen. The reason for her continuing existence after her purpose was fulfilled was...what? Love for her friends? Sheer stubbornness, refusing to relinquish her hold on the world?_

_But in a split second everything becomes clear. She has lived far beyond her physical form. She has seen things, done things she never dreamed of. She fell in love with a man who was as beautiful as he was terrible. But everything ends eventually._

_Annie suddenly feels incredibly tired, as if every limb is made of lead. Suddenly the cosy family scene in the kitchen seems so far away. She turns, and behind her stands the door._

George feels his heart about to break as he saw Annie about to leave him forever. All his bravery seems to desert him in a breath, and he feels panic clawing at his throat.

"Annie," he says, half sob, half question.

She looks at him, large doe eyes steely with determination. But before he can say any more he feels the slight pressure of Nina's hand on his arm. Nina looks at him with steady eyes and George understands.

"Annie," he repeats, with only a slight tremor in his voice, "Good luck. I mean, you will be OK won't you? Whatever is behind that door you will be OK?"

"Of course, George" she sooths, "I have to go. It's time. Everyone has to move on with their lives or deaths or whatever, eventually. I realise that now."

They hug, and George tries to ignore the fact that Annie seems more insubstantial than usual, whilst Annie ignores the way that George is shaking. She leans down and kisses the baby he has passed to Nina, breathing in the sweet baby smell for the last time.

She says her goodbyes to Nina, who looks like her tough exterior is close to cracking. "Don't forget me," Annie whispers.

"Never" comes the reply.

Annie tries out her usual light-hearted laugh, "Well, this is getting a bit cringy isn't it? Look at us all moping around!"

George and Nina try to smile, but the joke falls flat.

"So," Annie continues, "So, this is it then."

She reaches out towards the door, but stops, her hand hovering over the handle.

Nina watches confused as George and Annie both glance towards the front door, as if expecting a knock. But then Annie gives herself a little shake, and places her hand on the handle.

She turns then, and smiles at the couple behind her. "Thank you. Really thank you. I don't know where I would be now, _what_ I would be now, if it wasn't for you. You saved made me feel…real again. Just do something for me? Lead good lives. The kind I didn't get the chance to."

Nina thinks she has never seen Annie looking like this before. Never seen her so strong, so intense, so powerful. The ghost turns away, focusing on the task before her.

She turns the handle, opening the door. The werewolves cannot see through the door way, the door itself is blocking their view. George wonders absently whether Annie had manoeuvred them to ensure they would not view that which is only for the eyes of the dead.

As the door opens Annie's face is set aglow by a strange grey light. Grey as Annie's clothing, as the dust that Mitchell crumbled to. They see the ghost stare for a moment, then smile. Nina thinks she sees Annie mouth a word, a name perhaps. Then she steps through the door, and it closes behind her.

* * *

><p>So who (or what) is behind the door? Any ideas?<p>

Well, I'm not carrying on Annie's side of the story, but I will write an epilogue describing George and his little pack, I mean family.

A massive thanks to all the people who've been reviewing my stories, it seriously makes my day!

And, especially to any student nurses - you know who you are! :)


	2. The Beginning

Where will ten years find our favourite werewolf family?

* * *

><p><strong><span>The beginning<span>**

_"In the game of life, heredity deals the hand, society makes the rules, but you can still play your own cards."_

-Dr. Laurence J. Peter-

"Dad! Why are you so bad at football?"

George shrugged, grinning. "Well we can't all be good at everything!"

He roared, grabbing his oldest son and turning him upside-down.

The eight-year-old immediately cried, "Put me down!" in a demanding voice that sounded extremely similar to his mother's.

George retreated, throwing an arm around his wife's shoulder. Nina gave him a look that very clearly stated, "Do Not Wind Him Up," then turned back to watch their children play.

Their oldest, Sasha, was overseeing the game, occasionally manoeuvring one of her younger siblings into a position that best suited her. The ten-year-old had inherited her father's height – and unfortunately also his ears – along with her mother's curly blond hair.

Next up was Tony, who was running around with all of George's grace. His parents watched with pride as he launched his stubby body fearlessly at the ball – only to trip up and send his glasses flying.

Youngest was John, only four but already showing signs of George's intelligence. He was allegedly goalkeeper, which entailed running after the ball once it had sailed past the makeshift net.

As the werewolves watched their children contentedly, Nina reflected on her first pregnancy. She had been so terrified of something happening to her unborn baby, either as a result of their various misadventures, or the werewolf curse. The foetus' fast growth seemed to indicate that she was not completely human, so Nina and George were delighted when she was born. Ten fingers, ten toes, and no sign of a tail.

But her aging did not seem to slow during the first month. At two weeks she already looked like a month-old baby. Then the moon rounded out and her parents felt the change beginning.

Nina gave a small, sad smile as she remembered how Annie had put Sasha in a small metal cage, whilst George and Nina changed in the cellar. Nina had held back her change for as long as possible, straining her ears, trying to find out what was happening to her precious baby girl. She remembered the way her heart had frozen when she had heard the unmistakeable howl from upstairs, shrill and wavering. Then her bones had started to crack and she knew nothing until the morning dawned.

This continued for the next month, and the next. Until, one morning Annie had sat them both down and spoken her mind.

_"She's a werewolf" Annie began, unusually blunt. "But," she continued, "It's not the end of the world." The werewolves exchanged glances sceptically._

_"Well for one thing she's growing normally now!" Annie said, all in a rush. This was true. Ever since her first full moon, Sasha had been ageing at a normal rate, perhaps because the wolf now had a chance to free itself once a month._

_"And," the ghost continued, warming to her subject, "She makes quite a cute baby werewolf...sort of..."_

_"She's our baby, Annie," George stated. "She's our baby and we made her a monster."_

_"Well, I'm not it's as bad as you think it is..." Annie trailed off._

_"And what the fuck do you mean by that?" Nina cut in. She had been more anxious and irritable than usual, ever since Sasha's first full moon._

_"What I mean is, she's a born werewolf." Annie looked at their blank faces. "Not a scratched one" she clarified. "All she does during the full moon is sit and stare toward your cellar. And, you wouldn't know it but all you do is scratch at the door trying to get to her. And other stuff sometimes..."_

_George went red and Nina elbowed him in the ribs. "So," Annie took a deep breath, "I think we can put her in the cellar with you."_

_The werewolves stared at her, dumbfounded. "You have got to be fucking kidding me!" Nina cried eventually._

_"Oh, c'mon Annie!" George backed his girlfriend up immediately. "We are not risking our baby like that!"_

_But despite their immediate misgivings, Annie had persisted and eventually they had relented to letting her leave the cage in the cellar._

_Over the next few months it became clear that however evil and otherworldly werewolves were, they cared for their cubs. Whilst the werewolves showed no sign of growing less murderous, they seemed content with their cub next to them. Which grew even more important as Nina was already pregnant with their next baby..._

Nina snapped out of her reverie, focusing on her children. She missed Annie every day, for the ghost had been one of the few people she could confide in. Speaking to anyone else about how she was worried that her daughter would tell her teachers about how mummy and daddy put her in a cellar every month was a good way to get locked up.

The couple smiled and waved as they saw Tom loping across the grass towards them. His seven-year-old daughter, Clare, immediately let go of his hand and hared to play with her friends.

Clare was a result of Tom's first introduction to, shall we say, the birds and the bees. Nine months later found him not only with a baby on the doorstep, but proof that only two werewolves could produce a werewolf baby. Now he remained close friends with George and Nina, and his daughter saw it as perfectly reasonable that her father and best friends turned hairy and howled at full moon.

After chatting for a while with Tom, George tugged on Nina's hand, and nodded towards the back of the garden.

They had moved to a new house six months after Annie had passed through her door. The old bed-and-breakfast had been big enough to hold their new family, but their were just too many memories there. Memories of Annie and Mitchell, who had both met their deaths in the badly-furnished front room.

Their new house had a large garden - towards the back it grew more wild until it was indistinguishable from the woodland behind. This, of course, was perfect for a family of werewolves, and the pack (often joined by Tom) could slip out of the house, run around a 'chicken circle' and then slip back in as the sun rose.

George and Nina strolled, arm-in-arm to a point where the garden ended and woods began. At the foot of a young oak, George had spent a long afternoon weeding and clearing the ground. There lay a slab of rectangular rock, smooth and grey. On it, carved deeply, were the words:

_"In memory of Mitchell & Annie_

_For teaching us what it means,_

_To be more than human_

_Forever loved and never forgotten"_

They stared at the stone - part grave marker, part monument - for a while; then turned back and returned to their family. For when all was said and done, they had a life, and it was a good one – better than they could have ever dreamed.

* * *

><p>I really enjoyed writing this - even though when I read it back I realised there wasn't much of a plot!<p>

Looking forward to seeing what they do on the show...

And finally, its challenge time!

Each of the four children were named after a dead character... can you guess all four?

I'll put the names at the end of the next (and final) chapter...let's see who the true Being Human fans are!


	3. Snapshots

A set of drabbles, showing events from our werewolf family's lives. mostly Not in any particular order.

* * *

><p><strong>Snapshots<strong>

_"Family is not an important thing, it's everything."_

-Michael J. Fox-

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

**Fiancée**

Sasha had never been more embarrassed than when her parents' sat her fiancée down, three days after they had announced their engagement; and calmly explained that at every full moon the family turned into werewolves. Well, her mother explained it calmly - after a few minutes of her father talking, her fiancée was sure that his future parents-in-law were mass murderers. It was a mark of the couple's love that he didn't immediately run screaming into the night. Now as he kissed her goodbye, before she vanished into the woods until the moon waned, she never felt so happy.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

**Camp**

Tony had been outraged when, at fifteen, his parents' had forbidden him to go to summer camp. He had moaned that the camp finished the day before the full moon, but George and Nina remained firm. All his teenage wiles were employed to persuade them otherwise: the bargaining, the blackmail, the bribery, and of course the fact that the world would probably end if he was forced to stay home. How was he to know that if he had gone away, he would never have met a boy who would turn out to be more than just a friend…

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

**Hospital**

Nina tried desperately to comfort Clare as she sobbed by Tom's bed. The young woman, back from university as soon as she heard about the car crash, was inconsolable. George, for his part was trying not to watch for the door that would mark the end of Tom's life; trying not to think that Clare would at least have a chance to say goodbye. John was their only child present, and he shyly reached out to his childhood friend, entwining her fingers with his. The heart monitor beeped, and still the werewolf lay, eyes closed in the deepest sleep.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

**Wedding**

Tom had never felt more proud than when he saw his beautiful daughter gliding across the floor, eyes locked with John's, white dress flowing around her. Tony and his boyfriend cut across their path, both trying to hold back laughter as they tried to compensate for Tony's natural clumsiness. Meanwhile Sasha's husband was whirling madly around the floor, his son on his shoulders, his wife in his arms. Tom swivelled his wheelchair to face George and Nina, and saw the same expression echoed in their faces. To have gone though so much, was worth it just for this moment.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

**Memories**

Nina glanced over George's shoulder. He was in the old shed, sheltering from their grandchildren who were running riot in the house. He was flicking through papers they had found clearing out the attic the previous week. Photographs of Mitchell before he was turned, a card Annie had made for George's birthday, faked documents the vampire had kept around, a scrawled shopping list the ghost had made decades previously. A photograph of Nina and George dancing in hula outfits, with two strange people-shaped gaps in the picture. Nina squeezed her husband's hand, and together they tidied away the past.

* * *

><p>I just wanted to show how good and normal George and Nina's lives could have been. The show itself probably won't be that kind...<p>

I won't carry on this story (which was originally just a one-shot of Annie going through the door!) becuase I don't feel all that comfortable writing OCs.

And now to see who completed last chapter's challenge!

So, from easiest to most difficult:

John - Mitchell!

Sasha - the zombie!

Clare - Annie's middle name!

Tony - short for Anthony... Mcnair's first name!

Well done to 'fangyface' and 'cemeterydreamer' for getting them right!


End file.
